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New Jersey Congregation Helps Construct Orphanage

FORT LEE, NJ (May 19, 2005) - Pastor Peter Ahn and seven members of Metro Community Covenant Church recently returned from a two-week trip to South Africa, where they helped construct an orphanage for children left without parents due to the AIDS pandemic.

The delegation also surveyed other poor areas with the indigenous Christian organization God's Golden Acre. Village chiefs trust the organization more than those that come from the outside, says Ahn. The church intends to strengthen its newly formed ties with GGA. "We're trying to figure out the best way to work together." (The accompanying photo shows Ahn helping with construction. For additional photos, please see Orphanage.)

The church is only a year old, but Ahn says the congregation is committed to modeling Christian community and helping the poor and voiceless abroad as well as locally. Metro is ethnically diverse – 60 percent Asian, 15 percent Caucasian, 15 percent Hispanic and five percent African American, Hahn says. Prior to the South Africa trip, The 100 attendees donated $5,000 toward construction of the orphanage.

As many as 50 percent of the population in the area they visited has contracted the HIV virus, says Ahn. "South Africa is the wealthiest country in South Africa. The villages are among the poorest."

Metro members traveled through the region of Kwazulu Natala, which is southeast of Durban, the second-largest city behind Johannesburg in the country. Working in the villages of the region has been hampered by distance - the villages are far from one another as are the homes within each village. "The houses are miles away from each other," Ahn says. "A lot of organizations don't want to go there." But he adds, "The pandemic there is among the worst."

Ahn says GGA is working to identify the 50 neediest families. Plans are for congregation members to adopt each family and support them on a monthly basis. "It's only going to cost $50 a month to support a family," Ahn says. That includes providing an education. The church also would like to work with other development projects, such as installing irrigation systems. Ahn is scheduled to talk with civic organizations in his community to enlist their aid for the projects.

God's Golden Acre was started by Heather Reynolds, who has been honored by Archbishop Desmond Tutu for her humanitarian work. "I felt like I was with Mother Teresa," says Ahn. "It was an amazing experience just to be in her presence."

Ahn has worked as a producer and editor for MSNBC news and will be assembling a promotional video for the organization. The church also is committed to reaching people in its community and soon will be launching its first non-profit organization. With the aid and technical expertise of congregation members, they hope to build a recording studio to reach at-risk youth.

The church already has been offered free space at a local community center. Young people will be able to record their own music and learn how to be engineers, says Ahn, as well as develop relationships with people in the church. "That's the language of our culture. That's the best way to reach them."

Ahn looks forward to developing other outreach ministries and helping congregation members develop their gifts. "I feel like the reason we started the church was to be a launching pad."

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